Patriots' victory also means first-round bye

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Tom Brady and the New England Petriots earned a playoff bye with a 28-0 triumph over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Stevan Ridley ran for two touchdowns as New England used a ball-control offense and a defense that racked up a season-high seven sacks.

Now, seeded second in the AFC, the Patriots have an extra week to prepare.

“Hopefully, this will be a good game that we can step off from and keep working to improve,” Coach Bill Belichick said.

The Patriots (12-4) led 21-0 at halftime on Brady's 9-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker and Ridley's runs of 1 and 2 yards, capping drives lasting 14 and 13 plays. They ended the scoring on Brady's 23-yard scoring pass to Rob Gronkowski, who missed the previous five games after breaking his left forearm.

The Dolphins (7-9) finished with a losing record for the fourth consecutive season.

The Patriots began the day seeded third, but gained one of the AFC's two byes when they won after the AFC South champion Houston Texans lost and fell from first to third in the conference standings.

Under heavy pressure, rookie Ryan Tannehill's pass was intercepted by Steve Gregory, who returned it 13 yards to the Miami 28. Gronkowski gained 19 yards on the first pass thrown to him. On the second play of the series, Brady connected with Welker over the middle for a milestone completion.

Brady moved into second place in NFL history with a touchdown pass in 48 consecutive games, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas. And Brady became the first player to throw at least one scoring pass in all 16 games for three consecutive seasons.

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